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Kate Walsh is slipping back into her scrubs for her return as Dr. Addison Montgomery on Grey’s Anatomy.
Walsh, 58, is slated to reprise her role as the neonatal surgeon in an upcoming episode of the long-running medical series’ 22nd season, Variety reported.
Addison will make a guest appearance at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital on the episode airing Jan. 29, 2026, titled “Strip That Down.” The episode’s plot details have not yet been revealed.
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The actress’ appearance is her first on the ABC series since her last guest star stint in season 19. Walsh first appeared as Dr. Montgomery for the season 1 finale and left the show as a main character in season 3. Since her departure, she has made multiple guest appearances.
Walsh went on to star in the Grey’s Anatomy spinoff series, Private Practice, for six seasons from 2007 to 2013.
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After her appearance in season 19, Walsh went on The Kelly Clarkson Show and discussed her return as the fan favorite character.
“It’s incredible to be back,” she said at the time. “But the younger set of actors who are the new set of interns, they grew up watching the show. You’re like, ‘Oh, hi!’ ”
She continued, “It’s funny to be the elder statesman of the show. They’re so beautiful, all of them are such great actors.”
Since its premiere in 2005, Grey’s Anatomy has been going strong and is currently on its 22nd season. The series holds the record for the longest-running primetime medical drama and the longest-running primetime scripted series on ABC.
In a 2021 interview with PEOPLE, Walsh shared that she’s not surprised by the show’s ongoing success.
“Sometimes I do feel like I get a little witchy about things,” Walsh said. “I was like, ‘This is a great show.’ Even before I even had an airtime, and I was just on as a guest, I was like, ‘This is a great show. I think it’s going to be really good.’ And here we are. Here they are.”
“It definitely changed my life,” she added.
New episodes of Grey’s Anatomy air on Thursdays, at 10 p.m. on ABC. All 21 seasons of the medical drama are available to stream on Netflix and Hulu.
